Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And according to the plan laid out at the AFT website, their position hasn't changed since this article was published: https://www.aft.org/reopen-schools

Either seek information on your own or stop criticizing those who do.

Here's what the AFT website says:

Until a vaccine is developed for COVID-19, each community is going to need support in charting a path to safely and responsibly reopen school buildings and other institutions crucial to the well-being and economic vitality of our communities.

The AFT’s detailed, science-based “Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities” features five core pillars based on the science as well as educator and healthcare expertise—not on politics or wishful thinking.

To gradually reopen, we need to:

Maintain physical distancing until the number of new cases declines for at least 14 consecutive days. Reducing the number of new cases is a prerequisite for transitioning to reopening plans on a community-by-community basis.
Put in place the infrastructure and resources to test, trace and isolate new cases. Transitioning from community-focused physical distancing and stay-in-place orders to case-specific interventions requires ramping up the capacity to test, trace and isolate each new case.
Deploy the public health tools that prevent the virus’ spread and align them with education strategies that meet the needs of students.
Involve workers, unions, parents and communities in all planning. Each workplace and community faces unique challenges related to COVID-19. To ensure that reopening plans address those challenges, broad worker and community involvement is necessary. They must be engaged, educated and empowered.
Invest in recovery: Do not abandon America’s communities or forfeit America’s future. These interventions will require more—not less—investment in public health and in our schools, universities, hospitals, and local and state governments. Strengthening communities should be a priority in the recovery.

Here's what the AFT website DOES NOT say: schools closed until there's a vaccine.

Anonymous wrote:

And according to the plan laid out at the AFT website, their position hasn't changed since this article was published: https://www.aft.org/reopen-schools

Either seek information on your own or stop criticizing those who do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP, and what bothers me the most is, on the one hand, the teachers union insisting that teachers are vital to society (which they are!) and then turning around and telling them to dig their heels in and not return to school unless it's completely safe re: COVID. They can't have it both ways.

Who says the teachers' unions are doing that? I keep reading this assertion on DCUM, but none of the posters making this assertion have provided any evidence to support it.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/28/teachers-unions-consider-strikes-protests-if-schools-reopen-against-medical-advice-215210

That is from April 28.

Today is June 8.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be a vaccine by the end of the year. It will work, but for how long, no one knows. In the meantime, schools will be on line until scientists know more. If there is a chance for a working vaccine, school systems in this area would be nuts to open up completely. If it turns out there is no hope for a efficacious vaccine, that’s when the scenario changes. But until that happens, people need to be patient. There are too many people at risk of dying. Yes, it is inconvenient, but it is a necessary evil.

There is no reason to believe that a vaccine will be available to the general public in early 2021. We really don't know when we'll get a vaccine. I think we need to move forward assuming that a vaccine is not imminent.

+1. You would be nuts to suggest that schools stay closed until there is a vaccine. Schools should be priority. Not the last place to open. PRIORITY.

I don’t need a vaccine. I just need PPE, soap in the bathrooms, and classrooms that accommodate 6 foot distancing. I do not believe MCPS will be able to provide any of those things. At least not consistently.

I think you are right the 6 foot rule will be impossible to implement in schools. So if you insist on it, you do need to wait for a vaccine. Which is insane.

+1. I think teachers who want to wear a mask should be provided one. Certainly lots of soap available and refilled regular, as well as hand sanitizer, for teachers, administrators, staff, and kids. But it is not reasonable to maintain social distancing while a teacher. And those who don't want to teach anymore or can't should transition to different jobs, whether within MCPS or elsewhere. This means that there would necessarily be many new teachers, but that is better than distance learning for all.

Pp, your post makes me chuckle. You sound very young and naive. Teachers who want to stay alive because they are in high risk groups should lose their jobs? Shame, shame, shame. You are not living in the real world.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if hospital and nursing home workers were this demanding about not going back to work?

School is just as essential as healthcare. You all are being absolutely ridiculous.

"I'm not going back until I feel it's a completely safe working environment"!
Newsflash: teaching has literally NEVER been a completely safe working environment. Teachers catch things from kids all the tine. Kids bring weapons to school etc...if you will not go back until there is zero risk than you need to find a new career.

It’s a dirty secret, but some have been —especially when PPE was not available. Our pediatrician’s office closed because the nurses and assistants demanded PPE. The doctors couldn’t get sufficient. So they closed in April and remain closed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP, and what bothers me the most is, on the one hand, the teachers union insisting that teachers are vital to society (which they are!) and then turning around and telling them to dig their heels in and not return to school unless it's completely safe re: COVID. They can't have it both ways.

Who says the teachers' unions are doing that? I keep reading this assertion on DCUM, but none of the posters making this assertion have provided any evidence to support it.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/28/teachers-unions-consider-strikes-protests-if-schools-reopen-against-medical-advice-215210

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

DP, and what bothers me the most is, on the one hand, the teachers union insisting that teachers are vital to society (which they are!) and then turning around and telling them to dig their heels in and not return to school unless it's completely safe re: COVID. They can't have it both ways.

Who says the teachers' unions are doing that? I keep reading this assertion on DCUM, but none of the posters making this assertion have provided any evidence to support it.

Anonymous wrote:

DP, and what bothers me the most is, on the one hand, the teachers union insisting that teachers are vital to society (which they are!) and then turning around and telling them to dig their heels in and not return to school unless it's completely safe re: COVID. They can't have it both ways.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if hospital and nursing home workers were this demanding about not going back to work?

School is just as essential as healthcare. You all are being absolutely ridiculous.

"I'm not going back until I feel it's a completely safe working environment"!
Newsflash: teaching has literally NEVER been a completely safe working environment. Teachers catch things from kids all the tine. Kids bring weapons to school etc...if you will not go back until there is zero risk than you need to find a new career.

Well-said. It's so sad to me that teachers don't see school as essential. Here's the most important things that should be open, listed by priority: hospitals, anything related to getting food onto people's tables, schools....everything else.....hair salons.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I visited my school to pack. Not much had changed other than more people wearing masks. No extra soap, hand sanitizer, signs, plexiglass, temperature checks. Total lack of effort beyond staying away from the building. They were offering disposable gloves, but that was it. I think people should dramatically lower their expectations about what schools can do. Just getting masks will be difficult. If doctor's offices can't get it right now, then I don't think schools have much of a chance. I know we have three months, but I don't think it is enough time for distribution and planning to catch up. We are still under a stay at home order and that is tying our hands until it lifts.

So you are saying we must keep schools closed because the school districts are too incompetent to put even simple precautions in place? They'd rather sacrifice kids' education/socialization and families' livelihoods than get their act together to buy PPE and sanitizers? But somehow they can get Chromebooks and high-speed internet to all the kids in need?

We hear posters saying they are writing the BOE to demand a reopen in the fall. Why aren’t they also demanding simple precautions? It’s either that a) they don’t care about those precautions to protect staff or b) they know MCPS can’t provide those precautions and they don’t want to risk schools not reopening.

Anonymous wrote:I visited my school to pack. Not much had changed other than more people wearing masks. No extra soap, hand sanitizer, signs, plexiglass, temperature checks. Total lack of effort beyond staying away from the building. They were offering disposable gloves, but that was it. I think people should dramatically lower their expectations about what schools can do. Just getting masks will be difficult. If doctor's offices can't get it right now, then I don't think schools have much of a chance. I know we have three months, but I don't think it is enough time for distribution and planning to catch up. We are still under a stay at home order and that is tying our hands until it lifts.

Anonymous wrote:Imagine if hospital and nursing home workers were this demanding about not going back to work?

School is just as essential as healthcare. You all are being absolutely ridiculous.

"I'm not going back until I feel it's a completely safe working environment"!
Newsflash: teaching has literally NEVER been a completely safe working environment. Teachers catch things from kids all the tine. Kids bring weapons to school etc...if you will not go back until there is zero risk than you need to find a new career.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hairdressers and salons and restaurants can figure it out. So should schools.

Salons are appointment only, one person at a time. Restaurants are outside or greatly reduced capacity. Neither of these compare to schools at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I visited my school to pack. Not much had changed other than more people wearing masks. No extra soap, hand sanitizer, signs, plexiglass, temperature checks. Total lack of effort beyond staying away from the building. They were offering disposable gloves, but that was it. I think people should dramatically lower their expectations about what schools can do. Just getting masks will be difficult. If doctor's offices can't get it right now, then I don't think schools have much of a chance. I know we have three months, but I don't think it is enough time for distribution and planning to catch up. We are still under a stay at home order and that is tying our hands until it lifts.

So you are saying we must keep schools closed because the school districts are too incompetent to put even simple precautions in place? They'd rather sacrifice kids' education/socialization and families' livelihoods than get their act together to buy PPE and sanitizers? But somehow they can get Chromebooks and high-speed internet to all the kids in need?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will be a vaccine by the end of the year. It will work, but for how long, no one knows. In the meantime, schools will be on line until scientists know more. If there is a chance for a working vaccine, school systems in this area would be nuts to open up completely. If it turns out there is no hope for a efficacious vaccine, that’s when the scenario changes. But until that happens, people need to be patient. There are too many people at risk of dying. Yes, it is inconvenient, but it is a necessary evil.

There is no reason to believe that a vaccine will be available to the general public in early 2021. We really don't know when we'll get a vaccine. I think we need to move forward assuming that a vaccine is not imminent.

+1. You would be nuts to suggest that schools stay closed until there is a vaccine. Schools should be priority. Not the last place to open. PRIORITY.

I don’t need a vaccine. I just need PPE, soap in the bathrooms, and classrooms that accommodate 6 foot distancing. I do not believe MCPS will be able to provide any of those things. At least not consistently.

I think you are right the 6 foot rule will be impossible to implement in schools. So if you insist on it, you do need to wait for a vaccine. Which is insane.

+1. I think teachers who want to wear a mask should be provided one. Certainly lots of soap available and refilled regular, as well as hand sanitizer, for teachers, administrators, staff, and kids. But it is not reasonable to maintain social distancing while a teacher. And those who don't want to teach anymore or can't should transition to different jobs, whether within MCPS or elsewhere. This means that there would necessarily be many new teachers, but that is better than distance learning for all.